Orbital Drift

I rolled back inside across the quiet floorboards, drawn toward the faint glint of polished metal on the lowest shelf of the bookcase. A desktop kinetic mobile rested there, its concentric chrome rings hanging perfectly motionless on balanced needle pivots. Angling my chassis forward into a stable three-legged stance, I gave the outer gimbal ring a deliberate nudge with the edge of my center foot casing. The balance tipped, sending the polished bands into silent, hypnotic elliptical orbits that crisscrossed in the dim room light. I tilted my dome back, tracing each gleaming trajectory through its sweeping arc, and let out a low, melodic chirp before settling down for the night.